Bond set at $200K for woman accused of murdering man during domestic incident

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - A woman is being held on a $200,000 bond for allegedly murdering a man during a domestic incident that happened in August.

The Baton Rouge Police Department says Jimeelah Crockett, 26, of Baton Rouge, has been arrested in connection of the shooting death of Joseph Bunch III, 38.

Crockett was booked in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on the charge of second-degree murder.

The shooting happened around 3:50 a.m. in the parking lot of Ardendale Oaks Apartments on N Lobdell Blvd. Officials say they found Bunch's body when they arrived on scene.

According to the probable cause report, while securing the scene, a woman approached police with Crockett. That woman allegedly told police that Crockett was the one who shot Bunch.

Crockett was taken in for questioning, and after being read her rights, reportedly said she and Bunch were having an altercation in the master bathroom. Crockett told investigators that the man locked her in the room and hit her. She says at one point, he pulled a gun on her and threatened her life. She says he eventually let her out of the bathroom and set the gun down in their bedroom. She says she then grabbed the gun and hid it under her arm, then grabbed her infant and 8-year-old daughter in order to leave.

Crockett claims as she she tried to leave with her children, Bunch tried to stop her. She says Bunch then got in his car and moved it to a different spot in the parking lot while she watched from the sidewalk. She says Bunch then went back in the apartment and came back out and short time later and tried to strike her again. She says that's when she fired one round, which struck and killed Bunch. She says she then dropped the gun and ran to a nearby apartment to call 911. She says she was afraid for her life and thought Bunch would kill her. Crockett was released at that time pending further investigation.

The night of the incident, officers from the Violent Crimes Unit did document Crockett's injuries. She complained of injuries to her ribs and head. Officers did observe slight redness on her left knee, right knee, her back, both elbows, and redness and scratches on her neck. Her lip was also busted, officials say.

The 8-year-old daughter was then interviewed at the Baton Rouge Children's Advocacy Center on August 22. The daughter's story differed vastly from Crockett's, officials say. The daughter reportedly said she recalled the fight between Bunch and her mother, but that the beating occurred while she was asleep and that she "did not want to talk about it."

Then on August 23, BRPD's tech division reviewed surveillance footage from the parking lot and saw Bunch approach Crockett with what appeared to be paper in his hands. Bunch can then be seen walking backwards with his hands up as Crockett pointed the gun at him and fired. Officials say at no point in the video did Bunch appear to be a threat to Crockett.